Ricketts, Cubs announce more sign plans for Wrigley

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Ricketts, Cubs announce more sign plans for Wrigley

Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts announced today that since the rooftop owners continue to stall the Wrigley Field renovation process and threaten lawsuits, the team is looking to add to the plan already approved by the city.

The revised proposal is being delivered to aldermen featuring more signs, additional seats, and bigger clubhouses.

“We’ve spent endless hours in negotiations with rooftop businesses. We’ve gotten nowhere in our talks with them to settle this dispute. It has to end. It’s time to move forward. I have to put the team and the fans first,” Ricketts said. “So today, we are going forward with our original plan. We are proposing a master plan to expand Wrigley Field and to have several signs in the ballpark.”

“During the political process to accommodate rooftop owners, we tapered the plan to move forward with a sign in right field and a video board in left. But in the months since, the rooftop owners have made clear that, despite the city approval and our clear contractual rights, they plan to file lawsuit to try and stop our renovation and expansion plan,” Ricketts said.

The rooftop owners have a revenue-sharing agreement with the Cubs that expires at the end of 2023.

“Unfortunately, this decision by the Ricketts family will now result in this matter being resolved in a court of law,” said Ryan McLaughlin, spokesman for the Wrigleyville Rooftops Association. “The Ricketts family’s decision to unilaterally end negotiations with their contractual partners is another refusal to accept any of the proposed win-win solutions that could have funded the modernization of Wrigley Field and enhance the team’s competitiveness. In fact, it appears their zeal to block rooftop owners who pay them millions of dollars a year in royalties knows no bounds.”